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E. J. BROOKS.

SEAL LOCK. No. 364,892J` PatentedJune 14, .1887.

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UNITED- STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDWARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR IO E. J. v BROOKS85 OO., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,892, dated June 14,1887. Application filcd May 2, 189i'. Serial No. 236,?148. (No model.)i

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BEooKs, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Seal-Locks, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to self-fastening seal- Y locks for the doors ofrailway freight-cars, and

primarily to that variety of these fastenings in which a loose pin 7orb'olt coacts With an ordinary hasp and keeper and with a seal, thelatterapplied to the pin or bolt so that it must be broken and detachedbefore the pin or bolt can be Withdrawn to release the hasp.

-The present invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts,and in a peculiarly-constructed seal, formingpart of the device, ashereinafter set forth and claimed.

y A sheet of drawings accompanies this speciiication as partV thereof. Y

Figure 1 of these drawings is a front view of a pin or a bolt, as it ishereinafter termed, and its seal, together with an ordinary car-doorhasp and staple or hasp and keeper, illustrating this invention. Fig. 2is a top view of said bolt and seal. Fig. 3 represents a back viewthereof, and Fig. 4 an edge or side View. Fig. 5 represents a verticalsection of the bolt and seal, illustrating the fastening or sealingoperation. Fig. Gis a side view of the same fastened or sealed. Fig. 7represents a vertical section of the bolt provided with an `internalspring; and Figs. 8 and v9 are, re-

spectively,aface View and a horizontal section of modied seals.

Y Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

In carrying out thisinvention in the best way now known to me I employ astrong bolt, B, and a frangible seal, S,.in combination with an ordinaryswinging hasp, H, attached to the car-door, and a fixed keeper, K, whichmay be an ordinary staple secured to the side ofthe carin a convenientposition, said keeper receiving the hasp horizontally and the boltoutside thereof in vertical position, as seen in Figs. 1, 5,-and 6,while said seal is applied to the lower end of the bolt, as representedin Fig. 6 and in dotted lines in Figs. l, 3, 4, and 5, so as to preventits withdrawal 'to release the hasp until the seal is broken. Forclearness the parts will be hereinafter described as occupying therelative positions above indicated.

The bolt B is preferably of T shapein front view, as represented in Fig.1 and round in cross-section; and its head 7L is provided with aperforated lug, l', to coact with an attaching-chain and with anothersuch lug, Z2, at one end,rto coact with the shackle of an ordi naryleadandwire seal, for example, passed therethrough and through the slotof the hasp on roads which employ such seals, and it is so shapedthroughout as to be mainly formed in molds out of cast-iron; but theseand like details are not considered essential to the respective featuresof my invention, as herein after claimed.

Said bolt B, for the purposes of this invention, is constructed with arecess or recesses, 71 inits exterior, near its lower end, preferably inthe form of a pair of lateral notches, which are horizontal, orsubstantially horizontal, as seen in Fig. 4, and the inner walls ofwhich are parallel, or substantially parallel, and it has a shoulderedlongitudinal bore, b, the

.larger upper end of which is securely plugged,

as represented at p, Fig. 6, While its contracted lower end extendsthrough the eX-l tremity of the bolt. A headed locking-pin, l,

slides freely within said bore, and is normally projected by gravity atthe lower end of the bolt, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4, in dotted lines inFig. 5, and through the seal S in Fig. 6.

Primarily to protect the'projecting pin Z, when the fastening is notsealed, said lower end of the bolt B is further` provided with a rigidguard, g, which projects endwise behind the pin, as seen in Figs. 1, 3,4, 5, and 6, and the face of said guard is provided with a Vlongitudinalguiding-concavity, g', and a terminal gage-hole, h', extends through itsup` per end.

The seal S has rigid interlocking portions matching said recesses r inthe bolt, a vertical socket, s, matching said lockingpin Z, and a lVrigid finger-like projection, f, on its back matching saidguiding-concavity g' and hole h.

In sealing the fastening, as illustrated by Fig. 5, said finger-likeprojection f is engaged with the guiding-concavity'g at the lower endfront ofthe seal, as seen in Fig. 1.

posite said hole h in the guard g, and the seal is now movedhorizontally7 backward, as rep resented by arrow 2. This carries saidinterlocking portions t' int-o said recesses r, and at the same timebrings said socket s into line with the locking-pin l, which thereupondrops into the socket and securely fastens the seal in place.

The fastened seal is represented by dotted lines in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and5, as aforesaid, and is more fully shown by Fig. G. The seal be ing, asit preferably is, of transparent glass, the `lockingpin Z is exposed toview within it, as indicated in the latter ligure. The pin is still moreclearly seen from the front of the seal, as indicated by the exposure ofthe socket s in the full-line face view of the seal in Fig. 1. Thecondition of the seal is thus rendered manifest and thorough inspectionfacilitated. If preferred, the body of the seal may be opaque, as ofbrittle metal, pottery, or the like; butin this case a Window, fw, Fig.9, should be provided to form altransparent portion in front of thelocking-pin socket s.

The preferred transparent seal shown in Figs. 1 to 6 is furthermoreconstructed with recesses r r2 in its back, Fig.- 3, on the respectivesides of the central portion in which said socket s is formed, andwithin these recesses distinguishinglabels d d2 are cemented, so thattheir faces are exposed to view at the The seal is thus readily providedwith different origin or destination marks, and with serial numbers orthe like, as illustrated by said labels d and di, respectively. Saidlabels may be of .paper or other fabric, and secured againstAdistinguish the seals of different roads, as indicated.

After the seal is fastened in place, as illustiated by Fig. 6, tbc., asaforesaid, the locking-pin l cannot be retracted until the seal isbroken, except by inverting the car; and the fastening may, ifpreferred, be readily rendered secure against being so unlocked by theditching of a car by simply providing said bore bof the `bolt withalight spiral spring, s',

Fig. 7, of sufficient resistance to overcome the weight and inertiaofthe inverted locking-pin. So provided with a spring, the bolt willwork in horizontal or inclined position, as well as in verticalposition. To coact with the bolt I3, whether provided with a spring ornot, apair of coinciding keepers, such as staples, upon the car side anddoor, respectively,'arc considered equivalents of a hasp and keeper.

To unfasten a car-door secured by the withindescribed fastening, thefrangible seal S is knocked off downward, which breaks off saidinterlocking portions fi, and throws the seal clear of the locking-pinZ. The bolt Bis then withdrawn, which permits the hasp Hto be disengagedfrom the keeper K.

To prevent successful tampering with the sealed fastening, the body ofthe seal is extended upward so as to mask the opening at the lower endof the body of the boli-, as best seen at fm in Figs. 5 and 6. Thebottom and lateral edges are provided with rearwardlyprojecting flangesf', so as to coact with said guard g for this purpose. VThe socket s ismade sufficiently large and deep to prevent retraeting the locking-pinby concussion; and the lockingpin l may be made of brass to preventmoving itA by a magnet. A bushing, Z1', Fig. 7, at the lower end of thebolt may take the place of said plug p, .so as to be secured by theseal; and said gagehole h in the guard g may be made in the form ol' aclosed socket, as shown in the same figure, should the bolt and seal beso used as to expose their backs. Other like guards and modificationswill suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described my said improvement in seal-locks, I claim as myinvention and dcsire to patent under this specification- 1. In aseal-lock, the combination, with a hasp and a keeper, of a bolt having arecess or recesses in its exterior near one end and a longitudinal bore,and provided with a lockingpin which slides within said bore andnormally projects at said end of the bolt, and a frangible seal having arigid portion or portions to engage with said recesses and a socket toreceive said pin, substantially as herein specified.

2. The combination, with a hasp and a keeper, of a vertical bolt havinga horizontal recess or recesses in its exterior near its lower end and alongitudinal bore, and provided with a locking-pin which slides looselywithin saidbore and is normallyprojeeted at said lower end of the boltby gravity, and a frangible seal having a rigid portion or portions toengage with said recesses and a vertical socket to reeeivc said pin,substantially as hereinspecified.

3. The combination, with a hasp and a keeper, of a bolt having a recessor recesses in its exterior near one end and a longitudinal bore, andprovided with a locking-pin which normally projects at said end of thebolt, and a frangible seal having a rigid portion or portions to engagewith said recesses, a socket to receive said pin, and a projectionon-its back by which to retract said pin in sealing the fastening,substantially as herein specified.

4.. In combination with a frangible seal hav- IOO IIO

p having a recess or recesses in its exterior near one end to receivesaid interlocking portions, a longitudinal bore, a locking-pin whichnormally projects at said end of the bolt, and a rigid guard whichprojects endvvise behind the projecting pin and is provided witha-concave face and a terminal hole to coact with said projection insealing the fastening, substantially as herein specified.

. 6. In combination with a bolt having a recess or recesses in itsexterior near one end, a longitudinal bore and a locking-pin whichnormally projects at said end of the bolt, a frangible seal having arigid portion or portions to interlock with said recesses, a socketwhich receives the projecting portion of said lockingpin, and atransparent portion which exposes the latter to view Within the fastenedseal, substantially as herein specified.

7. The within-described frangible seal of transparent glass having acentral portion provided With its locking-pin socket and recesses initsback provided with 'a label or labels,

substantially as specified, for the purpose set forth. v

. EDVVARDJ. BROOKS. Witnesses:

J As. L. EWIN, JosErH BECKER.

